Questioning Jamaica’s readiness to receive third-country nationals (TCN) from the United States, Opposition spokesman on youth and human rights Isat Buchanan says the arrival of 17 Haitians in Port Antonio this week has exposed unresolved questions about the country’s asylum and refugee systems.

Making his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Buchanan argued that the Government’s newly signed agreement with the United States to receive TCNs should have been brought before Parliament for debate, particularly given the legal and human rights issues it raises.

Buchanan, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Portland Eastern pointed to the arrival of 17 Haitian — 10 men, four women, and three children — at Passley Gardens in Port Antonio, Portland, on Monday as a real-time example of the challenges Jamaica could face as it prepares to receive migrants transferred from the United States under the agreement.